Known as “Moses," Harriet Tubman was born into slavery as Araminta Ross. She was born in Dorchester County, Maryland in about 1820. Despite her father being a free man, Tubman, her mother and her siblings were still enslaved, being sold to neighbors very early in their lives.
In 1844, she married a free man, John Tubman who did not make the journey to freedom with her when she fled to Pennsylvania in 1849 with two of her brothers, according to PBS. Over the next decade, Tubman returned to rescue her family as well as other slaves. Utilizing safe houses and escape routes, dubbed the Underground Railroad, Tubman was able to free hundreds of enslaved people, never losing one on the way.
She worked with the Union Army as a spy, a guerrilla operative and a nurse during the Civil War. After the war she worked for women’s suffrage. She died of pneumonia in 1913 and was buried with military honors.
Throughout her life, both as slave and a free woman, Tubman took on difficult roles that often put her life in danger. Despite how risky her dreams may have been, Tubman found the strength to take a leap and come out victorious. In honor of her leadership, here are quotes to help find the strength within.
Tubman risked her life in the pursuit of freeing other slaves. She is credited with saving over 300 slaves, angering slave owners who offered a $40,000 reward for her death or capture. Despite it being dangerous, Tubman reminds us, in this quote from Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman by Sarah Bradford, a life without freedom is no life to live.
The lives of an innumerable amount of people would have been different had Tubman not dreamt of freeing them. While for some, the job may have seemed too grand to execute, she took the challenge head on. Within each one of us is the strength to pursue our dreams. It starts with imagining it for yourself. Although this quote can not be traced to its exact origins, it reminds us that once you decide to put your abilities into action, you may even change the world.
The abolitionist reminds us that although there will always be obstacles in our way, to never stop going after our dreams. There may be people who doubt us or try to stop us but if you want to achieve your dreams you must keep pushing through. While the origin of this quote can’t be traced exactly, it has become a source of inspiration for many.
Going after your dreams can be a difficult and lonely journey but it will always be worth it. This quote found in Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, reminds us that a new chapter in life can be scary but to continue the steps anyways.
Born into slavery, Tubman knew that she would need above anything else, strength to be able to survive. Speaking to Ednah Dow Cheney in South Carolina in 1865, She reminds us that if you have strength within yourself, and the courage to put it into action, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.